Sorry, this is quite long but try and stick at it :') This is kind of the start of the end and there aren't going to be many chapters left after this, thank you SO much for your support, always makes me smile.
If anyone fancies doing me a massive favour, I'm currently last place in a (popularity) writing competition and I'd at least like to be a respectable second to last haha. If any of you can spare the time, all you have to do is download a free Ether app, type Lauren Osborne into the search bar and download the story for free. It'd be a massive help and less embarrassing than being last so thank you if you do.
Hope you enjoy. :)
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They noticed straight away my forced walk as I tried to stay upright, clenching my teeth with the strain of moving. My leg could wait though, something was happening and I knew I should have trusted my gut instincts yesterday when I saw how worried Percy looked, when he said he had something to tell us.
'Wait, stop'. Keith held firm onto my shoulders and lowered me to the ground, ignoring my scowl and pleas to just forget about it.
'No, you can barely walk! The pain relief must have worn off, I told them to do something better than give you some shitty liquid drug' he rubbed a hand over his tired eyes, looking sympathetic and frankly, stressed, 'Does it hurt a lot?'
'It's fine' I lied, 'Just an ache. Percy, where are we going?'
'I-I' he began to stutter, holding his eyes closed for several seconds, 'Maybe you should wait up here, Harley, I don't know if this was a good idea anyway, you know, people always say I'm book smart but I'm not people smart and I always do the wrong thing and...'
'Dude' Keith dropped a hand on Percy's shoulder, 'Stop, it's okay. We don't keep things from each other, the second one of us is in the know and the next person isn't, that's when people start to die. You did the right thing'.
'I should've done the right thing yesterday' he fretted.
'You didn't know yesterday'.
'I had an idea! I should've trusted myself, I should've-'
'Percy!'
'For god sake!' I cut in, 'You two! Will you tell me what's happening? You just said it yourself, ignorance gets people killed and if this is something I should know, then I want to'.
'We'll sort out your leg first, alright?' Keith clenched his teeth, 'Percy, there's first aid in the room, we're doing this all wrong. I need to go talk to them first, before we all go charging in'. Now I could see what I should've seen before, his white knuckles as he clenched his fists so tightly, the way his temple was throbbing, his eyes alight - he was completely furious and he was trying to hide it for my sake.
'Keith' I said softly, bringing a hand up to his face from my position of the floor, tracing his cheek, neck collarbone, 'Please. Please tell me, you're scaring me'.
'I'm sorry' his voice was unsteady, 'I'm sorry Harley but I just don't know... someone needs to get downstairs now and right now, you don't want to be doing that. I'm gonna come back up as soon as I can, okay?'
'Keith...'
'He's right, we're being stupid' Percy said, standing upright and seeming to take a collecting breath, 'Keith, maybe if you go downstairs and talk to them, they're not planning on doing anything till tomorrow so we have time to talk sense into them. Harley, you and me are going to have a girly nail painting session or something in your room, I'm sure they have something here' his voice wobbled as he spoke and I knew a girly nail painting session wasn't at the top of his mind.
I'd had enough.
Unsteadily, I stood to my feet and made my way down the hall, sinking my teeth into my tongue so I couldn't verbalize just how much this hurt.
'Oh no you don't' the boys caught up with me instantly and propped me up, ignoring my weak attempts to shrug them off.
'I'm going downstairs' I said with authority, hoping that going down there would give me some clue as to what was actually happening. 'It's Lucas' my mind kept screaming but what exactly could they tell me that's news? He's dead? That had already happened. There was only one feasible option.
'Are they taking him somewhere?' My voice cracked as my knees buckled and I managed to stay upright with help.
'Um... who?' Percy asked hopefully.
'My brother' I growled, getting angrier by the second. They promised he'd get a good send off, that was the one condition, 'Are they taking him somewhere? Are they burying him now?'
'No' Keith spoke, leading me back to the room despite my feeble backlash. Every time I hit out I seemed to become more and more drained, the pain I was in was beginning to make it hard to breathe - I could do nothing but let him lead me to the room and eventually, the bed.
'I promise when I get back, when I find out exactly what's happening, I'll tell you. But right now I'm not sure and I don't wanna tell you a load of stuff that is completely wrong, okay?'
'I ju-'
'Harley, I'm doing this either way, I just need to know you'll be here when I get back'.
'Yes, yes, fine' I sighed grudgingly, shoulders slumping in defeat, 'Just be careful, please, don't they all want you locked up here? You've already annoyed them, just be safe'.
'I will' he laughed quietly, 'Cya soon, sunshine. Percy' he nodded towards the boy next to me and gave my hand a squeeze before disappearing out the door and for a moment, I wondered if I'd ever see him again before scolding my own mind.
'Right, you' Percy tried a small smile, 'We need to fix your leg up. I still think it's broken' he frowned.
'No, no' I waved the suggestion away with a forced laugh, 'You know what I'm like, probably just sprained it'. He raised an eyebrow, looking dubious.
'Sprains don't hurt that much'.
'It really doesn't hurt'.
'Mhm' he mumbled simply, 'I'm gonna go find one of those doctors'.
'No, Percy, please...'
'Think of where we are' he cut in with a warm smile, 'Do you really want to be in an emergency where those buggers break in here and you can't escape? I mean, really!' he pouted and I caught a glimpse of the boy who first saw us and scrunched up his nose disapprovingly.
'Well, no, but it isn't broken. Painkillers don't cure broken legs'.
'They didn't give you painkillers, it was a kind of liquid drug, I've studied it in our science modules' he told me, 'Unreleased as of yet but after this, I wouldn't count on any new drugs being released. It basically locks up your muscle or bone and separates it from the pain part of your brain - so it's still broken or sprained but you just aren't aware of the pain. It's a medical miracle, I based a whole essay on it'.
'Wow' I mumbled, so it could be broken?' I winced.
'Possibly but it isn't bent too much, is it the calf which hurts?'
'Yeah'.
'You might have torn it or cracked the bone but either way I need to get you some more of that drug before any stupid disaster happens, as per usual'.
'Can it wait?' I asked, not wanting to admit I didn't want to be left alone. Percy had managed to avoid the infected for days now, I'd just been outside with them and I was all too aware a pack was fairly close, just outside these walls. They couldn't be that close though otherwise we'd have been warned, surely?
'I- I don't think so, don't move, please, otherwise Keith will kill me'.
'Yeah, he probably will' a fond smile came to my lips before my mind could catch up and with a wave, I told him to do what he needed to do, 'Okay, but please be careful, I don't want you getting hurt for me. Shall I come?'
He laughed loudly.
'If you can keep up' he beamed before darting unsteadily out of the room, tripping over his own feet, looking bewildered and disappearing out of the door. I made it one step before I tripped back onto the bed with a deep groan. No, I wasn't going anywhere, even if that had been my plan.
For a few minutes I jabbed at my leg with clenched teeth, raising my eyebrows at the events which led up to this. If I'd done things differently, would the people I love still be alive? What if Skylar and I decided to have another sleepover, if I'd stayed round her house and she'd come with us along with her parents - if they'd let us all leave with my father, would she be alive? Could I have kept her alive? I missed her already, so, so much. What if we hadn't suggested we split from our parents? That was the decision my mind had tried to avoid because surely they'd still be alive, surely. We'd have all stuck together, unless that would have gotten all of us killed. Would that have been better? Maybe. Maybe not - I didn't think so. And then Lucas, how the hell could I have saved my brother? We could have stayed in B&Q for that bit longer. Maybe if we hadn't gone down the alley, maybe if I hadn't fallen from that wall. No, definitely. He would have lived. Decisions that seem so feeble and unimportant at the time can change the path of a life so drastically. I knew that now. Maybe, maybe, maybe, if, if. So easy to say.
'Hello, sweet thing' a voice boomed from the door and when I turned to the source, I came face to face with Bruce who was leaned up against the door, a smirk on his face. His frame was bulky and he seemed to take up the whole door, blocking all possible exits. Instantly, I felt uneasy but built up my bravado none the less.
'Don't talk to me'.
'Aw, touchy?' he cooed in a childish tone, laughing deeply, 'I only came up here 'cause I never really told you off for your little stunt, did I Harley?'
'No' I muttered, clenching my fist. I'd wondered when this would come.
'Well' he started, taking an exaggerated step into the room, 'I can't help but think you really could have done a lot of damage to us all... what if those deformed fuckers had just wandered on in here, hm? Your little bed buddy could have been toast, same for us' he started to growl, eyes darkening.
'Yeah, well, this place was giving me the creeps' I spat.
'I don't give a shit, darling' he said thunderously, pushing his face into mine as he approached the bed, 'you don't fucking mess with the system'.
'Oh, cause that's worked so well so far' I guffawed at him, stopping instantly when I saw an angry vein throbbing in his forehead.
'Quite the wise one, aren't you dear?' he was smirking again now, looking far too intensely at me, 'I bet you weren't always like this, eh? I bet you were a sweet little thing, loves her daddy, dote-'
'Don't talk about him!' I nearly shouted, stomach flipping at somebody else saying that word. His eyes widened and he laughed in glee at my outburst.
'Touched a nerve, sweetcheeks? Yeah, I bet you were quite the little babe. A bit meek maybe, a bit fiery but it was all hidden under the surface. And now look at you, brittle, snappy, and that pain in your eyes, oh honey, that never goes away, let me tell you, and that pretty face of yo-'
'Stop, stop' I spoke quietly but he heard - my hand was slowly massaging my temple and my mind was reeling at his words. Maybe he was right, maybe I had become cold and awful. What if the same thing was happening to Joel, just how much had that poor angel seen? He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve this. That's when I became angry and I seemed to realise exactly where I was, exactly just how close I was to the source of this very pain.
'You know how this all started, don't you?' I asked him, retreating back to the lie I told earlier when I said I didn't care how this started - of course I cared, how the hell could I have thought for a second I didn't care? The mystery shrouding this needed to be uncovered before some idiotic person repeated history, maybe they were doing it again in another country right now and even though hope was sparse, I knew I did care really. There were other families just like us who could have a different outcome.
'That's a big old question you're asking me' Bruce scratched his bald head and pretended to think, still stood over me in what I could only assume was him showing authority, 'I don't know. Throw me a few quid and I'll think about it'.
'Money? I don't have a change of clothes, let alone money!'
'Ah... shame. I can tell you that those in a position of leverage know exactly what happened... for example, those scientists downstairs may have recently come into some knowledge. Why don't you go ask them?'
'What's happening down there?' my voice cracked, 'What are you doing? Why isn't Keith back yet, why do you want me down ther-'
'It's cute you care' he snorted, 'But I'm just saying, those in a position of authority know. And those are the ones who can create some kind of cure. And of course that's what we want'.
'If you say so. I'm going downstairs'.
'You do that' he smirked evilly, standing up to leave, 'Meet you down there, babe'. His hand reached down to my hair and stroked a strand off of my face. Instantly, I shoved him away and had to refrain from spitting in his face - I wouldn't, he'd let me off lightly after what I'd done. Unless he had something else planned. When I looked up, I noticed he'd gone and after a further ten minutes of sitting alone, Percy wandered back in and instructed me to bite my tongue while he injected me in the leg with more confidence than I'd expected. I didn't want to explain the encounter right away but rather, gather up my nerves before I went downstairs. I knew Keith wouldn't be pleased if I followed him right back down there and Bruce wouldn't hurt him, we were worth too much money.
'You're good at that' I raised my eyebrows.
'I'm a nerd, we're all good at this' he smiled whilst still being deep in concentration, pulling the needle out of my leg so quickly I barely felt a thing.
'Is this what you wanted then? I know you mentioned science but you want to be a doctor?' I couldn't help but think of my father and how if he was here, he'd be doing this for me, holding my hand and making me laugh.
'No, probably not' Percy frowned, 'I want to do more than that, I want to be a scientist but not the kind who's stuck gathering cobwebs in a lab, I want to go and do some good, you know?'
'Yeah, completely. Hey, maybe you can cure this thing' I laughed tentatively, unsurprised when he joined in with me.
'Well maybe I'll go downstairs, give them a few pointers'.
'You probably could, you know' I said honestly. I had no doubt Percy was as smart as he seemed, no doubt he was pulling A*'s across the board before this.
'Well, you'd have to be a moron not to understand the general physics of a disease' he scoffed, 'The cells would be the key place to look at this stage and if they have a whole lot of sense they'd move further into the cyt...' he trailed off, taking in my obviously dazed expression and looking guilty.
'Guess I'm just a moron' I smirked.
'No, no-'
'I'm joking Percy' I snorted with laughter 'But I'm gonna go downstairs, I-
'No'.
'No, you don't understand... Bruce was here, I was trying to chill you out before I mentioned it but I'm worried and I told him I'd be there. I need to go'.
'Oh'.
'Yeah'.
'I'm coming with you'.
'Obviously'.
I would've been surprised if he hadn't come with me, doing things independently nowadays was suicide. I knew that well enough now.
I stood from the bed, marvelling when I realised the pain had subsided into practically nothing, just a slight ringing ache remained. I'd almost forgotten the screaming pain from earlier and just vowed this time that I wouldn't put so much strain on the muscle if I could help it. I just hoped there would be no reason to.
'Is it alright?' Percy asked curiously, gesturing towards my leg as we walked down the corridors. Nodding, I gave him a thumbs up. It was all he needed because right now, my mind was whirring with bright ideas which were slow coming. These people were protecting us in this feeble hotel with their guns and badges so we needed them on our side - equally, they were too close for comfort and we needed some kind of leverage over them.
Stupid, difficult world.
'This door?' I gestured towards the door we'd been stood at just yesterday, surprisingly confident.
'This one' Percy's voice shook as he smiled uneasily at me, reaching for the door handle and pushing it open.
The sight which was revealed to me wasn't what I'd expected. Although no coherent picture had formed in my mind, I was still shocked when I managed to look around the entire room and at the faces - Keith and two men in white coats I didn't recognise - which were now staring at us, seemingly me in particular. Three tables which were covered in a white bed sheets were stood in the centre of the musky room with no windows. The room itself was fairly large and tables and cabinets had all been pulled round the sides of the space with chemicals, scientific equipment and laptops coating the surfaces. There weren't any bare spaces in the room itself, nearly all square metres were covered with something whether it be wires, television hooked up to cameras or just blocks with things on top. That wasn't what my eyes focused on though - on the middle table between the other two bodies lay what I recognised not as a body, but someone I loved.
'Lucas' I choked out as I stumbled towards his side and grabbed onto his hands, all the raw feelings surfacing horribly.
'Harley, you shouldn't be here' Keith said softly and as I tore my eyes to his, I could see he was worried, his hair was tousled as though he'd been running his hands through it a lot and his eyes looked as though they had been rubbed plenty too. The two men behind him seemed anxious and sympathetic but before I could figure out exactly what they meant to me, I had a brother I needed to tend to.
Silently, I brushed his hair out with my fingers then shook my head, tousling it the way he always did jokily before going out with his friends. I moved his hands into the centre of his stomach because it seemed respectful somehow, and reached towards his cold forehead to plant a kiss on the skin.
'Miss Sawyer?'
I raised my head to meet the eyes of one of the two men who could only be one of the scientists I had so many questions and sharp words for.
'How do you know my name?'
'You're the sister of a one, Lucas Jeremy Sawyer?' he smiled a small smile, barely meeting my eyes as he did.
'And how would you know that?' I asked suspiciously, knowing Keith didn't even know Lucas' middle name - did he even know our last name before it was spoken? Had I told him?
'It's amazing what this computer can do, your brother must have given blood and other information before because his details were already entered into the database when I took samples. You should be very proud, miss Sawyer'.
My eyes widened as my fists suddenly clenched and when I saw Keith wince, I became even angrier.
'Sample?' I spat, 'If you laid one finger on him...'
'Okay, please let me-'
'Answer. Me' I said in short breaths, feeling my blood beginning to boil. Keith was at my side instantly, pulling me closer but I stayed rigid in his arms, checking over my Lucas for any cuts or incisions on his exposed skin.
'I will, but it's important you understand', he said in what he obviously thought was a sincere tone as he gestured towards his friend, who was a little shorter than him, a little more tanned and didn't wear glasses like the fairly skinny man before me whose hair was curly and eyes were a pale green - he seemed to be middle aged, like the man beside him, 'I only carried out simple blood tests and took some fluids when he first came in. My name is Doctor William Tennille and this is Santos, we're just scientists, they choppered us in from London. Harley, I am only here to help'.
'You had no right to touch him!' I yelled into the now silent room, balling my hand into a fist.
'Quite right, which is why when Keith came down I refrained from carrying out the... other tests. You have to understand Miss Sawyer, I regrettably thought you'd passed on with your brother, that's what I was told, like I said, I'm very sorry'.
'What?' I breathed, suddenly calmer.
'Bruce' Keith grimaced, looking pissed off, 'He's been feeding the scistists lies - they aren't the bad guys Harley, honestly love' he said and I desperately tried to ignore the fact he'd fondly called me 'love', realising now wasn't the ideal time to be a girl, 'They're down here looking for a cure, they're the only doctors who stuck around long enough to try, the only hope. But they don't lay a finger on Lucas, not again'.
My breathing steadied as I tried to decode his words, tensing and relaxing my fingers rhythmically. All the natural anger which had flared was draining away and I was only left staring at two men who seemed to be quite meek now, both of whom were looking at me apologetically. I tried to think sensibly - if I were trying to save a country, would I use the people in front of me? Maybe, but I'd find out if their family was in the same hotel first. We've all made mistakes. Especially me.
'Okay' I whispered, 'Okay' I repeated a little louder.
'Thanks' Keith whispered, holding my hand discreetly behind the table.
'Do you um...' Percy spoke up, playing tensely with his glasses, 'Do you want any help? I've been studying medicine and viruses for a while now, I nearly died for my coursework'. Even though it wasn't a funny thought, we all burst out laughing and eventually Percy joined in too, looking more at ease.
'Of course, I wish we'd known sooner you were here' Santos spoke up finally, slapping his hands together and reaching for some equipment.
'He's amazing'' Keith held his hands up in the air, 'The things he knows... I almost wish I hadn't dropped out of school, he has some class chat up lines at the ready'.
'Oi!' I protested to which Keith laughed and jabbed me in the side, making way for me to punch him in the arm. I could only stare down sadly at my brothers lifeless body and wondering if right now, he was bringing us the strength to laugh.
'Okay, that's not all though' Keith blurted out, rubbing his neck as I noticed he did when he was about to give bad news - that or run a hand through his hair. Good times never lasted long.
'Did you sort it?' Percy almost whispered, reminding me of all the secrets.
'I think Bruce and I need to come to some sort of agreement' William stated, 'I'm not willing to do what he's asking, not when Lucas' sister is here but it's vital I test what I've found on a person who is... well, deceased'.
'What? What's he planning to do to my brother?' I asked, aggressive again.
'You said my name?' A conceited voice echoed around the room as Bruce waltzed into a door I hadn't even noticed existed, smiling a smile which wasn't intended to show he was happy but instead that he was in control.
'What's going on?' I asked him, striding over to the man I barely even feared, 'Why did you tell them I'm dead, why are you letting them touch my Lucas! I came because you promised him a send off, that's the only reason I'm here!'.
'Sorry babe, we all make mistakes. Are you sure that's the only reason you came?' he bared his yellowing teeth, 'Not to live, or anything, eh?'
'I didn't want to live when you stole him from me!' I nearly screamed in his face, the realisation that this man had killed my brother finally sinking in. It was him, Bruce. I'd done nothing about it purely because of the deal for Lucas, the deal that said he'd at least be sent off in a way I wanted. But now? He let them touch him, mess with him!
'I'm going to kill you' I promised him, 'I'll do it'.
'But sweetheart, how will you find out the big secret about the big old disease?' he cooed, clearly getting kicks out of this.
'The truth always comes out' I said uncertainly, causing him to laugh loudly.
'Only in movies, by the time we're finished, love, the world will know the version we want to tell. It's about time England got back on the map, we can fabricate something heroic. Who knows, maybe I'm the hero!'.
'My parents didn't get this disease to die with you  as a hero in some fairy story. We deserve the truth, alright? I didn't... get it at first but I need to know, we need to know. This thing killed people we love, please just be straight with us just this once'.
I turned round and jumped when I noticed Keith and Percy were stood either side of me with fighting stance and the two scientists looked uncomfortable and a little angry. I guessed they didn't want to be finding a cure for something which would be hidden forever soon. But didn't they know about the real cause? Hadn't Bruce hinted at that? Why had he made out he wanted to tell me but then stood here explaining how he won't? It all seemed so important now, I needed to know why my family had died. It'd been in the back of my mind all along, this knowledge could give me some closure, peace even.
'Are you going to tell us or not?'
'Depends, if I tell you, you probably can't live, sweetheart. And it'd be a shame to waste you'.
'What, you're gonna cover up the evidence all over the UK?' Keith laughed sarcastically and Bruce frowned at him, looking angry for the first time since entering the room - it made me uncomfortable.
'You a hero, kid?' he growled, 'Obviously not a smart one, where's all this "evidence" coming from? Have you figured it out?'
'Like Harley said, the truth comes out, asshole'.
'You wanna keep an eye on your girlfriend' he narrowed his eyes towards the boy on my left, 'She's a sweet piece and believe me, if I want her, she's mine'.
'Oh, is that what you think?' Keith pushed forward and stood up against Bruce, not meeting him in height but though Bruce's build was strong, I knew Keith was strong too. That wasn't important though, I couldn't run the risk of him getting hurt. With this in mind, I boldly stepped between them and sent Bruce a few scathing words, turning to Keith and pushing him back lightly.
'She's a keeper, bold and sweet' Bruce grinned again and I turned back to face him, wanting to rip the smug expression off of his face. Hate, so much burning, screaming hate. A creature, not even human - but he had answers which could give me some peace of mind. He wasn't so reliable though, unless he was planning a surprise burial for my brother, it wasn't going to happen.
'I'll kill you' Keith panted behind me, repeating my earlier words.
'We will' Percy said with a quiver in his voice which sent Bruce spiralling into fits of laughter again, doubled over as his shoulders shook.
'Okay four eyes, go get your godsword and copy of Final Fantasy and I'll meet you here in five'.
'Oh, fuck you' Keith eyed him up and down with hate in his eyes, jumping to Percy's defence like I was ready to.
'No thanks, pretty boy, I don't swing that way'.
'Oh god, shut up!' I shouted, slamming my fist angrily onto a table, recoiling backwards at the pain it brought - was this me now? There was no time to question it because I'd already made my bold move, 'Do you think this is solving anything? How much longer are we safe in this little hotel, there are crowds outside and a few men guarding that poxy door.If you don't tell us how this thing started and if there's any kind of possible cure and then what the hell you think you're planning to do to my brother, then we'll all leave and your money goes straight down the drain along with your empty glory'.
I panted in the silence, waiting for a response, any. Bruce's face showed no emotion but instead, William Tennille spoke from my left.
'You know what, sir? She's right, Miss Sawyer is right and I will be a part of this no longer and I think Santos probably feels the same'. From next to him, Santos nodded and I felt a smile tug at my lips, 'I think these people deserve some truth seeing as they've come such a long way with such little hope and as I was planning to tell you earlier, we may have found some hope'.
'What?' We all asked in unison, Bruce knocking me into Keith as he barged past me and loomed over the scientists, gesturing his oversized hand towards their full test tubes and gadgets.
'Did you finish it? Are we ready to test it on the kid?'
'It's untested but we may have found something to reverse the effects to a degree, I must stress that this is unteste-'
'Do it, show me' Bruce waved his arms, shouting loudly for whoever - they obviously heard because all of a sudden several people with guns appeared at the two doors, blocking us in.
'We have no test subjects' William started, 'Nobody here is with infection and I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing in someo-'
'The boy, you moron' Bruce snapped, 'Tucan, Douglas, Lucas, whatever his fucking name is! It's what we were planning anyway!'
I had to figure it out in my head as the room hushed and Keith looked towards me as though he wished Bruce hadn't just said what he did.
'You...' I laughed humourlessly, 'You were going to use my brother, who you said would have a burial, as a test subject for your little potions?' my voice rose at the end of the sentence, leaving me almost yelling at the back of Bruce's head. This is what Keith and Percy had hidden from me and I didn't know if I was furious at them or not. Keith was down here trying to change the scientists mind and he had succeeded to an extent.
'Oh shut up sweetheart, he's dead, what harm can it do?'
'That's it' Keith spat before lunging towards Bruce, shoving him roughly in the direction of the floor where he stumbled and didn't fall. Keith would have pounced on him if it wasn't for my arms holding him back, whispering angrily in his ear. Bruce himself found the action funny though I didn't miss that terrifying, furious stare in his eyes directed at the boy who still didn't know I loved him.
'You know what, pretty boy?' he smiled falsely, 'I think you've just sealed the deal. I might just let my friends here tell you the story for your own fun... but rest assured that I will kill you and four eyes and take the girl for my own laughs, sound fair?'
'You fucking dar-'
'Shut up!' I called again, frustrated, 'You won't lay one finger on us, you're too money hungry'.
'Babe, these geniuses might just have a cure for this thing, a few grand doesn't matter anymore'.
'Again, it isn't nessecarily a cure...'
'Well I'll be the fucking judge of that, inject the kid with it'.
'No!' I yelled, lunging for Bruce's arm which was reaching for several tools and being held back by several uniformed men who rushed in and grabbed not only me but the other two boys and the scientists as well, 'You said you'd tell us the story!' I cried, trying to buy some time, failing to pull myself free from the brute men and women behind me.
'I can't be bothered, these guys can explain, it's not my job. In fact, I don't even know why I'm bothering, what do I get out of it if you brats get your little story apart from the fact I get the pleasure of killing you?'
'If you tell us why my parents are dead, why everyone is dead, I'll back up your story, whatever fairytale you want to spin, I'll back it up, I'll say I was there, I watched you, a hero'. The lies spilled out of my mouth easily and ignoring the protests of the boys behind me, I managed to twist my body uncomfortably and send them a 'look'. I wanted to growl when I saw how rough the men were acting with them but bit my tongue.
'Well, I don't need you but the word of a pretty young thing like you might just look good at the forefront of things, eh? Even the government don't know the full story, it's like a grapevine which has been conveniently broken and now only we really know the truth. Why not babe, but the boys die'.
'That wasn't part of th-'
'Yes, it is otherwise I won't say a word, I'll tell them you're a dirty, disgusting, conceit-'
'There was a man' William broke in, effectively silencing me, 'He had a daughter, one about your age Miss Sawyer. It was an awful tragedy, I didn't know him, I only just found out...'
'She died' Bruce broke in with his awful smirk, 'Straight into th-'
'Yes, thank you sir' William said bluntly, 'She unfortunately died - a group of boys thought they'd shove her around at the edge of a bridge - of course it didn't end well, she lost her footing and tumbled over the rail. Broke most of her limbs, banged her head and went straight into a coma, awful'.
'But what does this have to do with a disease?' Percy's voice was strained and when I looked to see why, I noticed a woman had her arm planted firmly around his neck. When I glanced back to William and Santos, I noticed they were both looking uncomfortable with the situation but he answered Percy's question nonetheless.
'Well, the man I mentioned before obviously was devastated. He sat by his daughter's bedside, Muriel I believe her name was, for hours, then days, then weeks then months. About a year passed before the doctors told him she had no hope and they bullied him into turning off the life support, obviously she died'.
'That's awful' I uttered, feeling it only the more because she was my age.
'Quite. But that's not the end of it. A few years passed and I can't find any records for that time for the man, Jonathan Jentry. Presumably, he lost his job, home, I don't really know the details. But after those years, his niece Kat had an accident'.
'Were they close?' Keith asked, still half-heartedly trying to wrench away from the several men holding onto him, having trouble restraining him.
'God, yes, from what I know. Obviously, he saw parts of Muriel in Kat, very tragic'.
Bruce snorted, clearly finding this amusing.
'But sods law, Kat croaked as well! Unlucky fella'.
'Oh god' I muttered, feeling tears well in my eyes, 'What happened? What did he do?'
'Well, it was a car accident and both Kat and her father were involved but her father was okay, she, not so lucky. Went straight into a coma, di-'
'Another coma?' Percy squeaked.
'Another, Jonathan didn't cope with his niece falling to the same fate as his only daughter. Again, Kat stayed in the coma but this time only for a few weeks before her father had to turn the life support off and Jonathan could only watch. That's where he made a decision - he'd find a way to bring people harmlessly out of hopeless comas, he was sure the sleep was killing too many people, he wanted to cure every person in that state and vowed he would do it, but his methods were less than savoury. He truly believed he'd be the hero who 'fixed' people in comas. No experience, barely smart enough to even try'.
'How do you know all this?
'Well...' he looked uncomfortable for a moment, 'I was sure I didn't know how all this started, the government knew bits and pieces, the army knew bits and pieces - and then I remembered something somebody from our old lab told me, about his brothers friend Jonathan and what he'd asked his brother to do. I investigated at the time and just thought it to be a bit strange but after I did some research back in London, I had a eureka moment and linked it together - went on the computers and realised just how damaging his research was'.
'So what exactly did he do to make this infection, how could he have? I assume that's what you're telling us?' Percy directed his question to William and I was just as curious.
'Yes, loosely. Like I said, his methods were very unsavoury. From what I read on his files, he would pick certain chemicals and syringe samples from animals and throw them together, assuming they had to make some kind of concoction. Of course he tested them and they all failed, didn't rouse any stimulation from the coma. Ridiculous? Yes, but he was desperate. He thought if he kept inserting 'new and inventive' concoctions into the body, he'd re-ignite it somehow. To us, it makes no sense. To a deranged man with no wits about him? Perhaps'.
'How could he have tested his mixtures?'
'People, stupid' Bruce rubbed his hands together, 'Bastard snuck into the hospital up into the coma ward at night, testing out all his little potions. Of course the patients always died from poisoning or something so he just kept moving round London when people got too close to finding out the truth. Sick, but a smart fella'.
'Oh, shit' Keith looked pretty distressed but I wanted to find out more - this didn't answer enough.
'So he was trying to make a drug to bring people out of comas?'
'Yes, exactly. Obviously he was trying to bring them back to the state they were in before but of course, he didn't have the expertise, before he lost his job he'd been trying to be a doctor but he'd never really gotten the hang of it, I remember my brother telling me. You and I know that if there were a way to bring people out of comas safely with no damage done, it'd be done already. Or at least being worked on. By doctors.'.
'Made so many mistakes' Santos shook his head and I jumped guiltily; I'd forgotten he was there.
'He started changing directions when he realised throwing random liquids together wasn't going to work. He really thought about it, wrote it all down in files. Both of the girls had been eventually declared brain-dead and that was what he wanted to target, restarting the brain effectively and bringing the person back from the dead'.
'That's impossible' Percy looked aghast.
'Well, to you and I, yes, it should never have been toyed with. He began trying to find the harshest chemicals and medicines he could and teaming it up with DNA and blood cells from strong animals which were being dissected in other labs, lord knows how but he managed to get DNA from vultures - his reasoning was that with the chemicals and medicines for autistic patients, brain medicines, all sorts, that teamed with blood cells from vicious, strong animals he could jolt the body back into action through shock'.
'That's crazy' I breathed, 'Did he think that it'd work?'
'Well, it did' he laughed softly, 'It was insane, nobody else would ever have tried it - with blood cells and samples from the inside of vultures teamed with copious amounts of Adderall and several other brain stimulants and drugs, through some miracle or disaster, one of his patients started to twitch and move their fingers, he wrote it in his notes. This wasn't enough for him though so he kept doubling the dosage of everything, using more brain stimulants, even throwing caffeine into some of the mixtures but that was just absurd and of course, made no difference. Eventually, he settled on a mixture and injected a young boy with it in a hospital in central London, he was effectively dead, had been in a coma for years because his parents couldn't bear to let go'.
I gulped.
'He woke up like them, didn't he?'
'He was infected, the first infected. When he stood unsteadily, Jonathan would have obviously been elated - he'd achieved what nobody else could, brought someone back from the dead with tools we all could have used. But obviously, he wasn't alive. He was dead, his brain had just been re-ignited, just enough for the young lad to know the bare minimum. Eat. The primal part of the brain has awakened enough to tell the body to stumble towards a food source. Really, he was still dead. The boy was weak but had no feeling, no thought, no realisation that he was human, he didn't even act it. Jonathan described him as acting much like a predator and when I found the tiniest traces of blood from that of a vulture, I realised just how bad this was. Vultures are predators, plain and simple - a person cannot come back to life, it's impossible. But with the instincts of a vicious animal and violent amounts of brain stimulants, this boy was walking dead on his feet, only wanting to feed, kill'.
'Why wasn't that the end of it?' Percy demanded.
'Same as everything else' Bruce stood tall, looking as though he was taking this seriously for once, 'He was hungry for more, a dead boy on his feet wasn't enough. He was an idiot, he wanted to give the kid his memories back so he just kept adding more crap, we can't know exactly what he used which is shit because England could never lose a war again with this. We can't even check because the fucking freaks blood doesn't even move in their veins and these fucking scientists can't test it properly'.
'We can to an extent' William argued, 'But yes, he kept adding more and I can't quite trace everything he used but it was vicious. Eventually, the people he injected woke up faster, more vicious, stronger until they are what they are now. What he didn't know what that the disease he's created could spread through blood and saliva and so when he was found dead in a hospital room, caught and attacked by an infected he'd underestimated, the authorities tried so hard to cover it up, without knowing the full story, the government ran and hid. I fear we are the only ones who know the full truth apart from a few who will never tell. That is why it's of upmost importance we're out of here soon once we've established whether what we've made can reverse the effects'.
'Wow' it was all I could say - it was impossible to respond to a story like that. My family was dead, so many were dead because of a man who lost hope, became desperate, a man who was trying to save people but went crazy with whatever power he had. I was trying hard to be angry but it was difficult, the man had lost everything, he was acting in desperation like I had so many times. But it was his fault, he let all this happen! If he hadn't done it, if he hadn't ruined everything...
'Well, it's a fucking shame, aint it' Bruce grinned, back to his old self, 'You got your story, now we discuss our version'.
'Sir' William spoke boldly, 'With all respect, I can't let you leave this room with your falsified version of events'.
'Oh, really?' he chuckled and before I could even take a breath, a simultaneous click sounded as every gun in the room trained on Keith, percy, William, Santos and I.
'Now, do what we said to the kid'
'His sister is right here!'
'What? What is it?' I wanted to know, I needed to!
'Well sweetcheeks, you may as well do the honours. We have a vial of freak blood in a syringe so if you wanna turn your brother, go right ahead'.
No. No, no that's not what he meant. No.
'If you even think about it, we'll kill you, we all will' Keith struggled against his restraints but I was concentrating too hard on breathing to acknowledge the pain of hands hiding into my own body. This was what they'd been planning - infect my brother then try and cure him. They wanted to turn him into a monster with their dead eyes, animalistic instincts. They wanted to turn him into them and test their fucking cure.
'You are vile and disgusting - you don't touch him with that! Find someone else!'
'Unfortunately babe, we need somebody dead to test this all on, your brother will be an icon!' he mocked me, 'Just think, maybe he could be the last ever infected!'
I couldn't speak, no words would form in my mouth. I could hear them all yelling at each other but I was stuck in my own world. Hadn't I said before, that it seems like the worst thing has already happened till something worse happens? Now it was almost like I just wanted my poor brother to bed dead and not tampered with - I'd die before they turned him into them. I would. And all of a sudden, I found my voice, riddled with emotion.
'You said' I almost screamed, thrashing towards Bruce, 'You said you'd bury him, not ruin him, not use him as a lab rat!'
'Yes babe, I did, you only have to play along and you might live. Your boyfriend is another story though. But I'll have my fun with you Harley, don't you worry about that'.
I jumped as Bruce's arm reached out and he pulled me into his body, looking down at me with a crooked smile, 'Or maybe I'll just do it right now...'
'To hell you will!' Keith attempted to break free from his hold and I winced as he was restrained with such force that he let out a whimper, still almost psychotically trying to wrench myself free of the worst person in the world.
'Shut up, pretty boy!' A vein in Bruce's neck throbbed and I shuddered as he pulled me closer, caressing my cheek with his large hand.
'Stop it!' Percy cried.
'Come here then, pretty boy' Bruce sneered down at Keith, 'Come fight my gun for your girl, you dare? Does she mean that much to you? Let him go, boys'.
In a second, Keith was shoved forward, only a metres away from me. Immediately, Bruce held me close with one arm and held his gun out towards Keith, the nozzle too near to his face. I was still panting with fury, trying to get a clear thought in my head. That thought only came when I looked into those crystal green eyes and found some clarity.
'Don't, please don't' My words choked up in my throat as my heart stopped, fear so deep rooted within me, 'Please Keith, I can't lose you, don't' I was openly crying now, uncaring. Bruce pointing his gun at the boy I loved was absolutely terrifying and I kept desperately trying to wrench it from his grasp still. I couldn't stop them hurting Lucas alone, I needed these boys. Not just for Lucas, god no. I needed them, I loved them so, not just to fight but to live, not as a force to be reckoned with but because they meant so much.
'Aw, cute. How about, pretty boy, if you don't do shit, I'll kill her. Make a decision, who do I get to shoot? But don't waste my time because dead kid needs to turn zombie'.
My eyes widened as Keith sent me a look which was the calmest, sweetest expression I'd ever seen before he lunged towards Bruce with more determination than the time before, attempting to shove him away from me. It was a blur as all the colours merged, I was shoved violently away and a gunshot sounded, ringing true all around the room.
Then nothing.
Just nothing.